Sam's heart pounded as she clutched her arm, the pain of the bullet graze barely registering over the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She scanned the surrounding rooftops, trying to pinpoint where the sniper had been. Nothing. Whoever had taken that shot was already long gone.
She knew one thing: they were getting closer. The syndicate wasn't just a shadowy organization anymore. They had a face now—Carter Blake—and they were pulling the strings from every direction. She had to keep moving, or she'd be their next victim.
Clutching her bleeding arm, Sam ducked into her car and sped away from Blake's mansion. The streets blurred around her, but her mind was sharp, racing through her next steps. She had pushed too hard, gotten too close to the truth. Now, the walls were closing in.
Her safe places were disappearing.
Sam gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles white against the leather. She couldn't go back to Leo's. She'd already put him and Tracy in danger just by showing up there once. If the syndicate was bold enough to take a shot at her out in the open, they'd have no problem targeting anyone she was close to.
"Dammit"
She cursed under her breath. Who else could she turn to? Tony had been her go-to for years when it came to digging up dirt, but this was beyond his skill set now. This wasn't just about finding leads in the usual underworld; the syndicate was bigger, more complex. They had connections in places Sam didn't even want to imagine.
There was only one person left who could help her now.
Hacker Mike.
He was a paranoid recluse, rarely seen in person, but there wasn't a system in the city he couldn't crack. If anyone could dig deep enough into the syndicate's operations to find something useful, it was Mike. Sam knew she was taking a risk by involving him, but what choice did she have? The deeper she went, the more dangerous it became, and she couldn't do this alone anymore.
Sam reached for her phone, dialing Mike's number. It rang thrice
"Please pick up your call Mike"
She hadn't spoken to him in years. The last time they'd worked together, he'd gotten them out of a tight spot with just a few keystrokes, but Mike had sworn off anything dangerous since then. Well, this is dangerous, Sam thought grimly, wiping the blood off her arm with her sleeve. She had no choice. With a sharp exhale, she dialed Mike's number, again.
The fourth time Mike picked up, she heard his familiar gruff voice at the other end.
"Sam? Long time. This had better be good, Mike grunted.
It's bad, Mike. Real bad, Sam replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "I need you to dig for me, and fast."
No response from Mike
I need your help, Mike. It's urgent."
"Not interested," Mike replied, his voice flat.
Sam winced, knowing this wouldn't be easy. Mike, please. It's about a syndicate. They're into dirty jobs —big time. They've already killed people, and now they're after me.
"Still not my problem."
Sam's patience was wearing thin, but she forced herself to stay calm. Mike, listen to me. They took a little girl. Her name's Lily. She's in real danger. I know you don't like to get involved anymore, but I wouldn't be calling if this wasn't serious.
Another pause, longer this time. Finally, Mike sighed. I swore I wouldn't get involved in this stuff again, Sam. Last time almost cost me everything.
"I know," she said quietly. But this time, it's different. They're connected to people in power. Politicians. Celebrities. You name it. If we don't stop them, more lives will be ruined.
There was a brief silence on the line before Mike responded. "You're in over your head again, aren't you?"
"You have no idea. Can we meet?"
There was another long silence before Mike finally spoke. "Fine. Meet me at the parking garage on 4th Street. One hour."
Sam hung up, feeling a flicker of relief. **One step closer.** But as she made her way to the garage, her thoughts returned to the bullet that had barely missed her. They weren't playing games anymore. She was out of time.
An hour later, Sam found herself in a dimly lit parking garage, the familiar smell of oil and concrete filling the air. She spotted Mike's black van tucked away in the far corner, almost invisible in the shadows. She approached cautiously, her senses on high alert, knowing that the syndicate could be watching her every move.
The side door slid open, and Sam slipped inside. Mike, a wiry man with a tangled mess of dark hair and bloodshot eyes, sat in front of a wall of computer monitors. The glow from the screens reflected off his glasses as he glanced over at her.
"You look like hell," he said bluntly, eyeing the dried blood on her sleeve.
Sam smirked, even though she didn't feel like it. "You should see the other guy."
Mike chuckled, then got serious. "What exactly are you dealing with here?"
Sam handed him the flash drive she'd managed to copy from Carter Blake's office. "The syndicate doing Dirty jobs Carter Blake's involved, but there's someone bigger—Mr. X. I need you to trace their operations, figure out who's pulling the strings."
Mike plugged the drive into one of his computers, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he brought up files and encrypted data. "You know this is going to take time, right? And you're not the only one after this kind of dirt. These guys... they've got power. Real power."
"That's why I came to you. I don't have time, Mike. They're hunting me down as we speak."
"Yeah, well, you've pissed off the wrong people," Mike muttered, his eyes glued to the screen. "But you already knew that."
Sam stayed silent, watching the lines of code flash across the monitors. Mike was good, but the tension in the air told her this wasn't going to be easy. The syndicate had covered its tracks well. For the first time, she felt a flicker of doubt. Was this fight too big for her?
Hours passed in tense silence as Mike worked. Sam kept glancing at the door, expecting someone to burst through at any moment. She knew the syndicate wasn't far behind her, and with every passing minute, the danger grew.
Finally, Mike leaned back in his chair, a grim expression on his face. "I've found something, but you're not going to like it."
"What is it?"
Mike turned one of the monitors towards her. "It's bigger than we thought. Way bigger. I've found connections—politicians, celebrities, high-profile figures. They're all tied to the syndicate in some way. They're either involved in the trafficking ring or getting paid off to keep quiet."
Sam stared at the screen, the weight of the discovery sinking in. This wasn't just about Carter Blake or Mr. X anymore. This was about a system that was rotten to its core, with people at the highest levels pulling the strings.
"We have to take this to the police," Sam said, her voice low but determined. "This is enough to blow the whole thing wide open."
Mike's expression darkened. "That's the problem, Sam. You can't trust the police. I've been digging through their records, too. The syndicate's got people on the inside—high-ranking officers, judges, even politicians. You hand this over, and it'll disappear faster than you can say 'corruption.'"
Sam felt a chill run down her spine. Raymond had warned her, but hearing it confirmed like this made it all the more real. There was no one she could trust. The system was compromised from top to bottom.
"What do we do, then?" Sam asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Mike opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, an alarm blared from one of his computers. His fingers flew across the keyboard, his face going pale.
"They're onto us," Mike muttered. "They've hacked into my system."
Sam's heart dropped. What? How?"
I don't know, but they're fast. They're in deep, pulling everything they can before I shut it down. His hands moved faster, trying to counteract the hack, but the look on his face told Sam everything she needed to know.
"They know everythin
g, Sam."
Before she could respond, the screen went black, and the van was plunged into silence. The air between them felt thick, suffocating.
Mike turned to her, his face grim. You need to get out of here. Now."